SEOUL, November 05 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics employees are seeking to establish a sixth labor union amid reported internal disputes within an existing union and disagreements over compensation between the company's semiconductor and consumer electronics divisions.
An application to establish the new union, tentatively named Samsung Electronics Union Shop, was filed Wednesday with the labor ministry's Gumi office, according to the Samsung Electronics Labor Union (SELU) on Thursday.
The new union is being spearheaded by former officials of two existing unions, including Han Moon-seok, a former Gumi branch chief of the Donghaeng union, and Yoon Joo-yong, a former secretary-general of SELU.
SELU, which primarily represents workers in the Device Solutions (DS) semiconductor division, suggested that growing tensions between former and current Donghaeng leadership may have prompted the move.
The proposed union could focus on employees in the Device eXperience (DX) division, which oversees smartphones, televisions and home appliances, although its membership structure and scope have yet to be confirmed.
Samsung Electronics currently has five labor unions. SELU has 53,475 members, while Donghaeng, which primarily represents DX employees, has 31,043.
The unions have clashed over bonus disparities between the DS and DX divisions and their approach to wage negotiations.
SELU said it would proceed with preparations for 2027 wage negotiations regardless of the new union's formation.
Meanwhile, Donghaeng is scheduled to hold a large-scale rally at Samsung's Suwon campus later Thursday, where members are expected to demand additional cash compensation and joint wage bargaining for 2027.
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